The invention relates to an article for cleaning fabrics in the form of a detergent impregnated flexible substrate. 2. The Prior Art
Heavy duty detergent products for laundering of fabrics conventionally have been sold in the form of powders and liquids. Consumers have been required to measure appropriate dosages from containers holding these products. This measuring process sometimes leads to accidental spillage, often is inaccurate, and can generally be described as messy or inconvenient.
Therefore, the industry has sought to overcome these problems by use of a single article containing premeasured amounts of detergent plus other functional cleaning aids within a single package. Two approaches have been taken to providing a single dosage article, namely pouches and impregnated sheets.
Pouches filled with powdered detergents are now presently on the market. These products have some inherent delivery problems. Transfer of the powder actives through the pouch walls is not always sufficiently fast. There are also limits to the amount of product that can be dosed per pouch. By virtue of its construction, the pouch is also bulky and rather large.
Impregnated detergent sheets have for some time now been known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 2,112,963 (Jones) reports paper substrates with a plurality of uniformly distributed perforations. Within the substrate there may be a detergent active composition. Passage of water through the perforations then aids in the release of detergent active to the substrate surface. U.S. Pat. No. 2,665,528 (Sternfeld et al.) reports a fibrous non-woven fabric or high wet strength paper which may either be impregnated or laminated with a detergent abrasive cleanser composition. U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,364 (Edwards) discloses a laundering aid in the form of an amine-coated modified cellulosic substrate in combination with a detergent. A wide variety of detergents are encompassed within that disclosed invention including ethylene oxide/propylene oxide type nonionic surfactants. U.S. Patent 4,095,946 (Jones et al.) is concerned with a laundry article in substrate form impregnated with both a surfactant and a fabric softening agent.
Certain disadvantages have been noted with single sheet type cleaning articles. The range of formulation possibilities is constricted by aesthetic requirements. There must be a reasonable feel and hand to the impregnated substrate. Thus, very tacky or wet detergent compositions must be avoided. Likewise, the impregnated sheet must have a certain degree of flexibility for ease of use and consumer appeal. A highly solid or brittle detergent composition cannot be employed. If the composition is too soft, however, there will be an unappealing greasiness or wetness in handling the sheet.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning article in the form of a detergent impregnated substrate having flexibility and when handled avoids a wet, greasy or tacky feel.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an effective cleaning article for use in an automatic washing machine for laundering fabrics. A still further object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning article which is simple in its manufacture and convenient to store.